Chapter 2009: 養劍葫

Later, as Lu Ye's strength grew, he frequently used this treasure. His most recent use was likely during his Star Constellation Realm, when he slew Star Beasts in the Myriad Manifestation Sea, as the Sword Gourd's power was uniquely unaffected by that environment.

However, after advancing to the Moon Splendor Realm, Lu Ye seemed to have stopped using the Sword Gourd. In recent years, his strength had rapidly increased, and he relied more on his own innate abilities rather than external aids. Had it not been for the pressing circumstances, the Sword Gourd would have continued to lie dormant. However, Lu Ye now desperately needed a substantial treasure to serve as his trump card, and the Sword Gourd was undoubtedly the best option.

The Zixuan army was set to arrive at Yuluo within two and a half months, so he had to return there before then to accelerate preparations. Luan Xiao'e would definitely return; as the matter concerned their home star system, she could not remain uninvolved. Ma Bin, being severely injured, should not move rashly and would naturally remain here to recuperate. Little Melon could not be taken away; her presence was crucial for the stability of the Myriad Manifestation Sea. Especially in these sensitive times, Hua Ci had to remain on Three Realms Island with Little Melon, as a precaution. Moreover, Little Melon's boundless power was only accessible within the unique environment of the Myriad Manifestation Sea; if she were taken away, she could only unleash two beams of golden sealing light.

Aside from this, Lu Ye's only reliance was the Sun Glimmer cultivators from Fangcun Mountain. The three divisions of Fangcun Mountain boasted over ten Sun Glimmer cultivators, a number not inferior to the Zixuan demon cultivators. However, without a decisive advantage, the battle would prove arduous for both sides.

Black Cloud was aware of Kyushu's existence and coveted the Dao Tree legacy. Other Zixuan Demon Venerables might also know, and in the future, more individuals could learn of it, subsequently setting their sights on Kyushu. Therefore, in this confrontation with Zixuan, they must be dealt a severe and crippling blow! Only by doing so could they deter all factions, making it clear to the world that Yuluo was no easy target. This would show those enemies coveting the Dao Tree legacy and Kyushu what fate awaited them should they dare to invade Yuluo and Kyushu.

Lu Ye had always known that the sword qi generated by the Sword Gourd possessed considerable power, but it was only after witnessing Shangchen Yue's confrontation with Yuan Se that he truly grasped how limited his perception of the Sword Gourd had been. On that day, Yuan Se activated the Fire Gourd, and Shangchen Yue countered with the Heavenly Dipper Sword's sword qi. The power of these two attribute treasures was incredibly formidable, certainly not something an ordinary Sun Glimmer cultivator could wield. Setting aside the Heavenly Dipper Sword's sword qi for a moment, both the Fire Gourd and the Sword Gourd were attribute treasures born from the Creation Vine. If the Fire Gourd could unleash such might, the Sword Gourd would naturally be no less potent! It was perfectly suited to be used as a trump card.

Inside the pavilion, Lu Ye held the Sword Gourd as his magic power and divine sense surged, permeating its interior. Years ago, when he first acquired the Sword Gourd, Lu Ye had attempted to refine it. However, he then discovered his strength was insufficient, resulting in an incomplete refinement; the Sword Gourd could only display a fraction of its true power. Now, having reached the Sun Glimmer Realm, he should possess the ability to fully refine the Sword Gourd and unleash its complete power.

Within the Sword Gourd, layers of ancient restrictions were intricately stacked. These restrictions were incredibly ingenious, not man-made, but had naturally formed at the Sword Gourd's inception. This was not unique to the Sword Gourd; the Elixir Gourd was similar. As Second Senior Sister, who controlled the Elixir Gourd, gradually advanced in cultivation, the Elixir Gourd's capabilities grew proportionately.

As time passed, Lu Ye proceeded with the refinement, layer by layer. Fully refining an attribute treasure was no easy feat, especially a combat-oriented one like the Sword Gourd, which demanded a significant expenditure of both magic power and soul power. Fortunately, Lu Ye had convenient means of replenishment: he would visit the Myriad Manifestation Sea when his magic power was depleted, and he had high-grade Soul Refining Pills readily available for his soul power. Even so, Lu Ye spent a full ten days completely refining all the restrictions within the Sword Gourd. Throughout this process, he entered the Myriad Manifestation Sea three times and consumed no less than five bottles of high-grade Soul Refining Pills. Through this constant cycle of depletion and replenishment, Lu Ye discovered that his Sun Glimmer cultivation had significantly stabilized, an unexpected minor gain.

Once the refinement was complete, Lu Ye held the Sword Gourd and distinctly felt his connection to the attribute treasure grow much stronger, as though it had become an extension of his own body. With a subtle shift in his thoughts, he clearly perceived a distorted, fluctuating sword qi sealed within the Sword Gourd. Originally, there were many streams of sword qi, but now, for some unknown reason, only one remained. To his senses, this sword qi resembled a flickering, easily extinguished flame, yet Lu Ye knew this was a mere illusion; if unleashed, its destructive power would be no less than that of a mid-stage Moon Splendor cultivator's full assault.

Blinking, Lu Ye retrieved an unused magical artifact from his storage ring, aimed the gourd's mouth at it, and channeled his magic power. The space subtly warped, and the artifact vanished instantly, clearly devoured by the Sword Gourd. Upon careful perception, Lu Ye could faintly discern that something strange and indescribable had been added inside the Sword Gourd. This peculiar substance was absorbed by the flame-like sword qi, and then... nothing further occurred. The sword qi sealed within the Sword Gourd appeared to have undergone no significant alteration. Clearly, a single artifact was insufficient!

Lu Ye promptly retrieved more magical artifacts. During the recent turmoil in the Myriad Manifestation Sea, as many as six Sun Glimmer cultivators perished at his hands. Their inheritances, naturally, became his war spoils, leaving him with a substantial number of unused magical artifacts. He now took all of them out and allowed the Sword Gourd to devour them.

In the past, he had also allowed the Sword Gourd to consume some spirit treasures and magical artifacts, though only in small quantities. Back then, after consumption, the Sword Gourd would generate numerous sword qi that Lu Ye could freely use against enemies. Its behavior now was entirely different. Lu Ye surmised that this was linked to his complete refinement of the Sword Gourd, and that this was indeed the correct way the Sword Gourd should react after consuming magical artifacts.

The inheritances left by the Sun Glimmer cultivators were substantial, with each magical artifact being highly valuable. If others witnessed Lu Ye's actions at this moment, they would undoubtedly call him wasteful, as within a short span, the total value of artifacts he had fed into the Sword Gourd amounted to at least tens of millions of spirit jades. Yet, he felt no remorse whatsoever. Gu Tai of the Yellow Dragon Realm had once stated that activating the power of an attribute treasure required either a tremendous sacrifice or extensive preparation. Thus, any current expenditure served as preparation for unleashing the Sword Gourd's might. If the Sword Gourd's power could resolve the imminent conflict in Yuluo, then no cost would be too great. Furthermore, since these were already spoils of war, using them caused him less heartache.

After about half a day, Lu Ye had the Sword Gourd consume all his unused magical artifacts, a collection worth at least a hundred million spirit jades. Upon re-examination, the sword qi within the Sword Gourd was noticeably more stable and solidified. Furthermore, it no longer appeared merely as sword qi, but more like a fragmented sword blade. It resembled a tattered longsword, damaged after countless battles alongside its master.

A thought stirred in Lu Ye's mind; he vaguely realized that once this sword body was fully restored, the power of this single stream of sword qi would have been cultivated to its zenith. Even in its current incomplete state, this sword qi gave Lu Ye a feeling of piercing sharpness; if anyone were to unleash such sword qi against him, it would undoubtedly pose a considerable threat. If an incomplete sword qi was this formidable, what about a complete one?

He promptly produced a sound talisman and sent out a message. A moment later, Tang Jun, his eyes bloodshot, arrived with a large pile of storage rings, which he tossed before Lu Ye, asking curiously, "What do you need so many magical artifacts for?" He had been incredibly busy lately, swamped with tasks. So many materials required coordination, recording, and classification. Moreover, he had been responsible for the prior material exchanges with various spirit islands and hadn't rested for nearly a month. Additionally, various messages requiring his attention needed to be processed. He was originally the General Manager of Foreign Affairs for Three Realms Island, managing complex external relations. Now that Three Realms Island had rapidly ascended, his own status had likewise risen. Countless cultivators sought to invite him to banquets but failed, and even more wished to make his acquaintance and forge connections. Old Tang was experiencing a mix of joy and vexation.

Moments ago, upon receiving Lu Ye's message, he immediately brought over the storage rings filled with numerous magical artifacts. Suddenly noticing the Sword Gourd in Lu Ye's hand, his mouth twitched. "Is Venerable Fa Wu about to reappear?" he muttered. He recalled how, in the past, Lu Ye had disguised himself as Venerable Fa Wu, flaunting this gourd in public. Poor Old Tang, even with his failing eyesight, had once been deceived by it. Gourd-shaped magical artifacts were quite common, so he hadn't given it much thought.

Then he witnessed an utterly astonishing sight. Lu Ye extracted numerous magical artifacts from a storage ring, piled them into a small mound before him, and with a mere shake of the gourd, the mound of artifacts vanished. Tang Jun initially froze, then his expression sharpened. "Lu Ye, this gourd of yours... what quality is it?!" He immediately sensed something was wrong. While the artifacts were diverse, several were of very high quality. How could a gourd suddenly absorb them? Upon closer inspection, the intricate patterns on the gourd's surface imbued him with an even deeper sense of profundity and mystery.

"The Fire Gourd from the Yiyuan Realm?" Tang Jun exclaimed in utter shock. "How did that get into your hands? When did you go to the Yiyuan Realm?" When Yuan Se wielded the Fire Gourd, Old Tang was still in the Merman territory and naturally hadn't witnessed it. Although he hadn't seen it, many others had witnessed it firsthand. He had later heard about it, so he immediately made the connection, assuming Lu Ye had quietly ventured to the Yiyuan Realm, killed Yuan Se, and seized the treasure—a feat he was certainly capable of!

"It's not the Fire Gourd," Lu Ye replied casually, still observing the changes in the sword qi. "It's the Sword Gourd."

Old Tang paused, "This item and the Fire Gourd from the Yiyuan Realm..."

"They're like siblings!"

Siblings...

Tang Jun was utterly astonished. He already felt a sense of unreality when Three Realms Island suddenly produced a supreme treasure capable of deterring all sides. Now he discovered that the island possessed not only one such treasure but other attribute treasures as well. If the Fire Gourd nurtured extraordinary fire, then the Sword Gourd must nurture sword qi, right? These were realm-guarding treasures, significant enough to protect any domain they were placed in.